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Tol Eressëa
Tol Eressëa, known also as the Lonely Isle, was a large island located off the eastern coast of Aman.The Atlas of Middle-earth, The First Age, The Elder Days, "Valinor" History Tol Eressëa was originally an island that stood in the middle of the Belegaer far from either the coasts of Aman or Middle-earth. Ulmo uprooted it and with the help of his servants used it as a ferry to transport the willing three kindreds of the Elves back and forth twice from Middle-earth to Aman. After that, the host of Olwë remembering the star-light of their home in eastern Middle-earth begged to the Maia Ossë to stay their journey. Their request was granted at the behest of Ulmo. Ossë rooted it permanently to the bottom of the sea, and never moved again afterwards. The isle came to rest forever just off the eastern shore of Aman in the Bay of Eldamar, and the Teleri dwelt there ever after. This long separation from the Vanyar and the Ñoldor caused the Telerin language to sunder from Quenya of the other Calaquendi. So that the Teleri could see the light of Valinor, the Valar opened a cleft in the Pelori so that the light of the Two Trees shone upon it, making its western shores green and fertile. Many Teleri lived here until their lord Olwë built the city Alqualondë on the northwestern shore of Aman. With the end of the First Age, many of the Eldar of Middle-earth exiles came to it, and lived on the island of Tol Eressëa. Sometime during the early Second Age, the Elves that chose to settle there built Avallonë in the eastern part of the island. It was also where most of the elves visiting Númenór came from at least until the shadow fell upon the Númenóreans. The Númenóreans yearning for the light of the west would often gaze at the great tower of Avallonë, which they could see from the westernmost parts of their homeland. When Ar-Pharazôn the Golden broke the Ban of the Valar and sailed to the Undying Lands with his Great Armament, Tol Eressëa was surrounded by its fleets before going to Tirion, but it is not known whether its people were assailed by this act or not.The Silmarillion, Akallabêth (The Downfall of Númenor) Earlier versions of the legendarium In early versions of Tolkien's legendarium, the island was later visited by Ælfwine (or Eriol), an Englishman from the Middle Ages, which provided a framework for the tales that later became The Silmarillion. Over time it had become a land of many beautiful places and interesting sites such as: Alalminórë, the Land of Elms, and Tavrobel.The History of Middle-earth, Vol. I: The Book of Lost Tales Part One Along with Ulmo, host of whales centering the great whale Uin were also in charge to carry the island to the Bay of Eldamar. The Cottage of Lost Play, which Eriol visited, was one of the more famous spots in Tol Eressëa at which many stories were told (the stories that became the Lost Tales) of ancient times. At different eras of development of his mythology Tolkien either saw Tol Eressëa as the island of Britain, or as the island of Avalon, off the coast of Britain beyond the Straight Path near Valinor.Tolkien, J.R.R.. The Fall of Arthur (p. 151). In some of the later writings and letters he began to see the Shire and Rivendell to be closer to England geographically. Some of the ideas of Avalon (and Arthurian legend) that had been associated with the island can also be seen in the name of the city Avallonë. Tolkien even echoed this in a letter when he stated he had given Frodo and Bilbo an "Arthurian ending". :But when Morgoth was thrust forth, the Gods held council. The Elves were summoned to return into the West, and such as obeyed dwelt again in Eressëa, the Lonely Island, which was renamed Avallon: for it is hard by Valinor. Notable dwellings *Avallonë *Cottage of Lost Play *House of the Hundred Chimneys *Kortirion Translations References de:Tol Eressëa es:Tol Eressëa fr:Tol Eressëa it:Tol Eressëa pl:Tol Eressëa ru:Тол-Эрессеа sk:Tol Eressëa Category:Quenya words Category:Islands Category:Elven Realms Category:Tol Eressëa